Tories ask Liberals for plan to help restaurant, hospitality, tourism sectors
Posted Apr 13, 2020 9:08 am.
Last Updated Apr 13, 2020 10:14 am.
OTTAWA — The Opposition Conservatives are calling on the Trudeau Liberals to come up with a plan specifically to help the nation’s restaurant, hospitality and tourism sectors.
Many of them were either among the first to close due to public health concerns related to COVID-19, or have seen dramatic declines in business as consumer spending drops.
A handful of Conservative critics say in a statement this morning that the government must give these businesses the tools to open their doors again.
Conservatives propose to do this by running wage subsidies through the bank loan program for small biz. Lift the cap and use that loan program to allow small businesses to get cash quicker to pay workers and bills. #cdnpoli #COVID19
— Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) April 13, 2020
The party also says such a plan would help businesses retain workers through the pandemic, especially in areas with historically high unemployment.
Among the ideas being proposed are temporarily allowing owner-operators to qualify for the federal wage subsidy program as well as refunding a year’s worth of GST remittances to small businesses.
A report last week by the parliamentary budget officer estimated that refunding federal sales tax to small businesses would cost Ottawa’s coffers about $12.9 billion
The Canadian Press